1. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to ship operations and, in particular, to a method and apparatus for analyzing ship performance. Still more particularly, the present disclosure provides a computer implemented method, apparatus, and computer usable program code for analyzing and comparing a ship's voyage efficiency while traveling between an origination point and a destination point.
2. Background
Commercial vessels carry cargo, goods, passengers, and/or materials from one port to another. Commercial vessels may include, for example, tankers, bulk carriers, container vessels, and passenger vessels. Globally, tens of thousands of vessels make voyages over the seas from one port to another port. A typical cargo vessel may make anywhere from 10 to 30 voyages per year. Often, at any one time, 1,000 to 3,000 commercial vessels are at sea.
Issues may occur when a ship arrives at a destination later than scheduled. For example, the availability of a planned berth and a port may be missed. As a result, the ship may have to wait additional time for another berth. Further, scheduling of dockside labor facilities also may be disrupted by a ship arriving to a destination later than scheduled. Connections also may be missed as well as delivery of products to a vendor being delayed. These types of issues may increase costs in transporting cargo on a ship.
By increasing the speed of a ship to arrive early, the ship may still have to wait for a scheduled berth at a port. Further, fuel efficiency may be decreased by the increased speed with an early arrival. In some cases, the ship may arrive on time but may require bursts of speed that may also reduce fuel efficiency. These situations also increase the costs needed to make a voyage.
In making a voyage, it is desirable to make the voyage in a manner that enhances safety, efficiency, and/or lower fuel consumption. Weather forecasts, historical data, charts, and optimization software applications are currently used to generate routes to meet these and/or other goals with respect to a ship making a voyage. These types of processes, however, rely on weather forecasts. The weather forecasts, however, become less accurate when the forecast is farther out in time.
It may be difficult to identify a solution that may provide the best results for a particular ship. Identifying a solution that provides the best efficiency for a ship may decrease the cost to make a voyage. In addition, a better solution also may increase the occurrences of on time arrivals as well as the possibility of reducing disruptions at a port.
Therefore, it would be advantageous to have a method and apparatus that addresses one or more of the issues discussed above.